“Are you texting Alek? He was in my room a minute ago.”
Abi gives me a devilish smile. “Oh, I know. I’m sexting him to get him to my room.”
I laugh. Alek has no chance.
A moment later I hear Alek and Abi giggling. I’ve been pacing in my room, so as soon as her door shuts, I dash barefoot to Victor’s apartment. The front door is unlocked, and I frown. Both guys have a bad habit of leaving the door unlocked.
I peer into the kitchen and living room and run up the stairs. Victor’s door is wide open. His back is to me. My eyes grow wide as I watch him take off a wet T-shirt. His beautiful, broad back is marked with a huge dark red spot on his shoulder blade, and some of the skin is scratched. The other spot on his lower back is already slightly purple. I scan the rest of his body. My eyes find his knees and calves and… is that blood on the floor? I put my hand on my turning stomach. A trail of blood makes a pattern on the floor. I gasp, and that’s when he turns.
He gives me a confused look, but I ignore him and continue my examination. I can’t escape the bull staring at me from Victor’s rigid chest. Fresh blood smudges the tattoo, making the bull look furious.
My muscles quiver.
“Who did this to you?” My hand flies up and down, gesturing to Victor’s body. “Your shins are still bleeding.” My voice is strained.
Two long cuts spread on each leg. I stare at his swollen face. No doubt his nose bled. Dried blood is smeared across his cheeks.
Victor puts up his hands. “I need to take a shower first. Don’t come near me until I clean up.”
I didn’t even notice I’ve taken a few steps inside his room. Before, I would have never walked toward the sight of blood.
“I had a hard practice.”
“Practice? Your dad pushed you that hard? And it’s only the morning.” My voice comes out louder than I intended.
“I pushed myself. If I can’t take it during practice, what makes you think I can take it during the actual fight?”
My next breath is sharp and dry. He must have pushed himself because of me. Because of the extra pressure I put on him with the bet.
He wants to win. For me. To help me. The guilt my mom likes to bring out in me returns in full force. Directly or indirectly, I am responsible for what Victor goes through. My heart aches.
Victor faces me and takes off his shorts and boxers all in one swift move. Pleasant sensations in my chest… flutter, flap, flicker...
Eyes on his face, Tia.
His body is stunning, amazing, lick-worthy. He is gorgeous. Goose bumps appear on my arms and neck. My gaze follows the V-shaped muscles on his stomach down to his… hard-on, which is so erotic that I can’t think. Thoughts such asI want to touch himorI want to kiss him right in this momententer my mind. My fingers twitch and I squeeze my hands so I don’t do anything stupid. Shivers race through me and settle down in my empty core.
He’s just standing naked in front of me, his green eyes darkening by the second.
“Why do you care?”
I blink few times to get ahold of myself. “Because I don’t want you to get hurt, Victor. It’s common sense.”
Because I’ve fallen for you. I swallow the unspoken words.
He raises his eyebrows. “Is it? Or you’re still in denial?”
My heart does a flip in my chest. “Of what?”
“Of how you feel about me. Us.”
He waits for me to say something but I decide on silence. He gives me a wolfish smile and saunters into the bathroom.
I go downstairs and take out the Swiffer, set it up, and go back to his room. Cleaning is the perfect distraction at the moment.
Why am I not more disgusted by the sight of his blood?
As I finish cleaning the entire laminate floor, Victor walks in, smelling of his body wash, already looking better. I sigh.
